President Trump’s Immigration Reform and State of the Union Address

President Trump’s immigration reform has been facing controversy ever since he took the oath. Immigration was one of the core elements of President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address. This was expected as immigration has been one of the central elements of President Trump’s political career. As he reiterated his plan to make America Great Again, would-be immigrants listened closely to how his future plans would affect their stay in the United States.

Trump’s immigration reform Package Introduced

The President spoke of a four-pronged immigration package that the House and Senate will soon be voting on. This package has been designed keeping the Democrat and Republican views in mind. In his speech, he called this -Trump’s immigration reform package – a ‘fair compromise’ that ensured that part of both party’s demands are met and the country gets the reforms it needs.

Citizenship for Immigrant children

President Trump’s immigration reform package supports citizenship for illegal immigrants who were brought to the US by their parents as minors. In his speech, President Trump said that this would benefit 1.8 million people currently living as illegal immigrants. Through this plan, if immigrants meet certain educational and work experience criteria and show a good character, they may become citizens of the United States.

Secure Borders

The second prong of Trump’s immigration reform package is directed towards securing the US border by closing loopholes in the current immigration process. He also mentioned the wall between Mexico and the United States as part of this package.

Ending of the Visa Lottery System

Currently, a number of immigrants get their Green Cards through the lottery system. This system was designed to increase the diversity of the US population without looking at skill or merit. Ending this system has been an important part of President Trump’s political story. Thus, it was not surprising to hear him advocate for a merit-based system to replace the lottery system. With the Trump’s immigration reform, only individuals with skills that could contribute to the US economy would be awarded Green Cards.

Ending Chain Migration

The current immigration laws allow an individual to bring relatives along with him when he immigrates to the United States. The fourth pillar of the new immigration package being proposed addresses this issue by limiting immigrants to bringing only their spouses and minor children with them.

For Indians intending of immigrating to the USA, the new trump immigration reform package has advantages and disadvantages. Since Indians are barred from applying for a Green Card under the lottery system, a merit-based system could be advantageous. However, limiting sponsorship could put some families in a tight spot.